


Where Are You Now?

by OhHolyShit



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Gay, M/M, Multi, OC is upto your imagination uwu, Romance, Soft Lee Taeyong, Ten is amazing and rich, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 09:31:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhHolyShit/pseuds/OhHolyShit
Summary: Things go haywire, when Taeyong suddenly disappears, during a vacation in Italy.





	Where Are You Now?

**Where Are You Now?**

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

I was boarding a plane to Rome, when I suddenly found it difficult to breathe, almost as if , someone had squeezed air out of my lungs. I found my seat just in time and settled down. This wasn’t the right moment to get an anxiety attack. I glimpsed though the window one last time. I looked at Tegel Airport, almost pitifully. It was pretty ratchet honestly. Too ratchet for a chic city like Berlin, but well, it functioned. Suddenly, the sight reminded me of that particular moment, back when I was in college.

We were taking a walk. Well, it wasn’t one of those long walks, but we were simply walking from the supermarket back to our apartment complex, after some grocery shopping. “Some” would be an understatement. The shopping lasted for an eternity. I only wanted to pick up the essentials. Honestly speaking, I’m not the type that is absolutely crazy about food. I eat enough to keep myself alive though. The boy I was walking with, was the most gorgeous creature I had set my eyes on, but man, he used to nag me so much. The street we were walking on was definitely not the most aesthetic-looking place, since we were in Berlin Mitte. There were advertisements on the streets, which offered “erotic massages”, and the walls were littered with pointless graffiti, by teenagers who wanted to start some revolution. The weather was damp. It could rain any moment.

 

 

“You need to eat more. You’re so skinny.” He shook his head, and pouted.

 

“Taeyong, don’t worry about me, okay? I definitely don’t starve myself.” I said. I was in no way skinny. I was pretty average-sized. I didn’t want to lose weight though. I did hate my physical appearance, but I wasn’t going on a diet. I was just not really interested in food.

 

“You need some meat on your bones. When was the last time you had a proper meal?” He looked at me, innocently.

 

“Umm… this morning? You made me some dope ass Korean breakfast, remember?” I looked up at him. I suddenly realised how tall and good-looking he was. I don’t want to exaggerate, but I felt like I was almost blinded by his looks.

 

“That’s not enough!” He whined like a little child, and I laughed.

 

 _ _Man, I love you, Taeyong.__ I thought to myself. I wish I could confess to him, but even if I did, rejection would be inevitable. That’s because my dude, Taeyong was gay and had fallen in love with this Thai student. Well, I’m just a girl, who had been consumed by unrequited love. Let’s face it. Unrequited love is painful, but definitely not romantic, especially, if the guy you’re in love with is gay.

 

Back in university, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Maybe, I did, but I couldn’t trust anybody enough to call them my friend. Then, I met Taeyong, during a Creative Writing lecture. He had just transferred to Berlin from Seoul. He was the only person I could trust. There was something that drew me towards him. It could have been his physical features, or maybe, because he was the most considerate guy I had ever met. I loved him to bits, but he loved someone else. He loved another boy.

The story of how Lee Taeyong and Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul met is honestly very sweet. Chittaphon had been working part-time at a café, right near the university. It was a lot like Starbucks, but cheaper and more European. Chittaphon had an obsession with coffee. He came from a well-off family, but wanted to be independent, doing something he was somewhat interested in. The pay wasn’t much, but it was fine for a foreign student, who already had rich parents.

 

“I think I’ve seen you somewhere.” Taeyong tapped his chin, as the young barista handed his coffee over to him.

 

“A lot of people who come here, have seen me before, because most of them are college kids, much like myself.” He smiled pleasantly.

 

“Yes,” Taeyong nodded. “Or maybe, it’s because we were fated to meet today.”

 

“What?” Chittaphon chuckled.

 

“Well, I’m a college kid too. I go to the university nearby.” The customer smiled, his cheeks slightly flushed.

 

“Me too! We should hang out sometimes. I’m in need of friends.” Chittaphon pouted.

 

Taeyong scribbled his number on a piece of paper and stuffed it in the tip jar, grinning at Chittaphon.

 

When Taeyong narrated this story to me, I was surprised that he could engage in a proper conversation with the barista, at a café infested with students, in the heart of Berlin.

 

“Look,” Taeyong explained to me. “The café wasn’t really crowded when we met."

 

When they hung out at the Mall of Berlin (apparently, Chittaphon had an obsession with malls in general) at Potsdamer Platz, during the weekend, Taeyong discovered that the boy had been dating a German girl, who lived in the small town of Ellwangen, miles away from Berlin. He was in a long-distance relationship. That night, when he returned, Taeyong was so upset, it broke my heart to see him like that. He rested his head on my shoulder.

 

“Being gay is so difficult, especially, when your crush is hetero.” He snuggled me, making me feel all giddy.

 

“Maybe, he’s bisexual.” I tried to find an explanation.

 

“I’m sure, he’s got no interest in men.”

 

I couldn’t help, but disagree honestly. Chittaphon was gayer than Taeyong himself, well, stereotypically. But then again, stereotypes aren’t always true.

 

 

 

For the next two years, Taeyong was unable to confess to Chittaphon. The latter had had quite a few girlfriends, following his breakup with the girl from Ellwangen. After we graduated, Chittaphon travelled to Milan to pursue his studies in Performing Arts, leaving heartbroken Taeyong back in Berlin. That was before Taeyong decided to get a grip and travel to other European countries to “find himself”. I didn’t have the money or the time to join him, although it was sweet of him to request me. So, I found a job as a translator at a famous IT company and settled down in Berlin myself.

I did not lose any contact with Taeyong. He sent me postcards and gifts from different regions of Europe, the last being from Milan. We also skyped and texted each other. Apparently, he had reunited with Chittaphon in Venice. I was happy for him, but experienced a similar heartache, from back in college.

 

 

I was busy cleaning my apartment, when I received a Skype call from Chittaphon. I couldn’t understand why he was calling me. We weren’t really close in college, and I had lost all contact with him, except his social media profiles, but I stopped using Facebook years ago.

 

“You must be wondering why I called you.” He sounded tensed.

 

“Yep, you’re right.”

 

“I wanted to inform you that,” He sighed heavily. “Taeyong has disappeared.”

 

“What the fuck?” I said, with a flat voice.

 

“We were staying at my holiday home in Naples. He just disappeared without a trace today.” He seemed to be crying a bit.

 

“Again, what the fuck?”

 

 

 

 

I took a train from Rome to Naples. I still found it hard to believe that Taeyong had just disappeared like that, without saying anything. Why would he take such a drastic step? Had he been kidnapped by some Italian mobster? The thought sent chills through my spine.

 

“Jesus Christ, Taeyong.” I said to myself, almost hoping my voice would reach Taeyong.

 

I had taken a week off from work, but had to return soon, because new clients were arriving soon, and I had to be there. But, who knew, it could take months to look for this man.

When I reached the train station in Naples, I met Chittaphon. He hadn’t changed much, except that he looked slightly more masculine.

 

“Look, I only have a week to look for this man. I must return to Berlin in a week, or at least before the new clients arrive, okay?”

 

“Don’t worry about that. It’ll be fine.” He looked like he hadn’t slept for a few nights.

 

That evening, we went to a restaurant near the coast. I was hungry as hell, so I ordered some seafood linguine.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You still look the same.” He smiled.

 

“Yeah, enough about me, can we talk about what the fuck is happening right now? How did Lee Taeyong just disappear?”

 

“Well, last night, Taeyong and I got all drunk and sentimental. He was more under the influence of alcohol than I was, in my defense,” He sipped on his glass of red wine and continued. “So, he’s like ‘Dude, I like you’ and then, he started crying.”

 

“Wow.” I gasped.

 

“Then,” He smiled awkwardly. “We kissed”

 

“What the frick frack?” I almost choked on my food.

 

“I’m not joking. We dead ass made out.” He said, looking right into my eyes.

 

“I’m going to ask you honestly. Chittaphon, are you into other men?”

 

“Honestly speaking, I’m not.” He shook his head, and continued drinking his glass of red wine.

 

 

 

I settled down in my room and threw myself on the bed. Chittaphon owned an elegant holiday home by the beach. He’d been blessed with filthy rich parents fortunately, and here I was still trying to finish off my student loan. I groaned.

 

The next morning, we called the Korean Embassy and informed the police. There was absolutely no sight of a young Korean man by the coast.

I went to Taeyong’s room to look for clues and found a letter.

 

“ _Dear Chittaphon,_

_I’m so embarrassed by what I did last night. I’m sorry. I know you don’t have any feelings for me. But, that’s not why I’m leaving. I’m leaving, because I haven’t found myself yet. The exact opposite has happened. I’ve lost myself, because of you._

_Love,_

_Taeyong_

_P.S: Please don’t try to look for me_ ”

 

Tears were flowing down my cheeks. Where in the world was Taeyong? How had he been doing? I clutched the letter to my chest and cried. That’s when, Chittaphon entered.

 

There was no progress. We couldn’t find Taeyong. His face could be found on most English newspapers with the headline- “23-YEAR-OLD KOREAN MAN MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED”. It was depressing, honestly. I would often find myself walking by the beach, aimlessly, sometimes with Chittaphon.

 

“When was the last time you had been on a date?” He asked me with a pleasant smile.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe, four months ago?” I was still preoccupied with Taeyong’s disappearance. His case seemed similar to Amelia Earhart to me, probably because I was pessimistic.

 

Chittaphon grabbed my hand and looked at me. “Let’s go out on a date, before you leave. You’ve been under a lot of stress.”  

 

We did go out on a date. I realised that Chittaphon was a very pleasant guy. I understood why Taeyong could have fallen in love with the man. He was indeed very charming. He took me to a fancy restaurant, which was followed by a long walk by the beach.

The next day, I was informed that the company needed me back in Berlin. So, I started packing my bags.

 

“I wished you could have stayed longer. You know, so we could go on more dates. It would be fun.” He pouted.

 

“But, what about Taeyong?”

 

Chittaphon looked down. “I really like you. I want to spend time with you.”

 

“Is that a fucking confession?” I said.

 

“Yep. You’re so caring and nice. I couldn’t help myself falling in love with you.” He blushed.

 

“I can’t help it. I need go back to work. Plus, you're my best friend’s crush. I’ve got priorities, okay?”

 

When we went to the train station, he hugged me for the last time tightly and softly kissed my cheek. I almost cringed.

 

 

 

 

A few months went by and I never heard anything from Taeyong. I often thought about him, and tried to look at his social media for clues, but could not find anything. But, one night, a miracle took place.

It was midnight and I had fallen asleep, but was woken up by an unknown call.

“It’s me. Lee Taeyong.” A familiar voice said.

 

“What the fuck?” I found myself saying.

 

“I’ve returned to Berlin. We need to meet.” He demanded.

 

“Right now?”

 

“I’m coming to your place. Bye.” He announced and immediately hung up, leaving me speechless.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Woah... Shit. Taeyong is precious. Please protect him, okay.


End file.
